Lithuanian Radio and Television

BARTAŠEVIČlUS Stasys, pensioner, STOŠKUTĖ leva, physician Vilnius,

We were by the Television and Radio building. At about 1:30 we heard tanks coming through Vingis Park towards the television tower. Quite a few young people jumped into their cars and rushed to the tower to help by the main entrance of the RTV building. Everyone crowded closer together to keep the soldiers from getting inside. Meanwhile, tanks started rolling down Konarskio Street and you could hear firing from tanks, machine guns, and tommy guns. Suddenly I saw glass falling from broken windows where the police had been standing, and paratroopers with helmets and bullet-proof vests were breaking into the building through the windows. The people were rained on by explosive smoke packets. About 10 more young men jumped into the building but the soldiers quickly kicked them out. They said that the building was filled with paratroopers. The RTV staff left together. Paratroopers appeared by the door. They demanded that the people break up and fired their tommy guns over the people's heads. However, no one even tried to disperse - everyone just chanted in unison: “Lithuania!" Then tanks drove to the door of the building on the sidewalk. No one was frightened, because it was inconceivable that they could shoot at people. But the bullets that they were shooting over the people's heads were real, because you could clearly hear them whistling by and you could see the glow of tracer bullets. Machine guns were being fired from the tanks and soldiers were firing tommy guns, but the people didn't withdraw. Then the paratroopers started beating people with gun butts and metal sticks. They were undescribably brutal. A man and woman in our rank were knocked down by guns. Another soldier was hitting people over the head with an iron stick that was about 1.5 meters long. We never could have believed that we would see such terrible brutality. But there wasn't any panic even though the majority of people were women. The men said to calmly move back, and we did so, as we were being beaten, to Konarskio Street. Windows of houses were shattering from the thundering of bullets and tank guns.